Liquid-distributer.



A. C. LA MAY.

LIQUID DISTRIBUTER. 111 1110111011 111120 SEPT.28. 1911. RENEWED FEB. 11,1916.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

amwroz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR 0. LA MAY, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To PHILIP E. TUCKER AND ARTHUR E. HEADLEY, BOTH or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

LIQUID-DISTRIBUTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Application filed September 28, 1911, Serial No. 651,700. Renewed February 11, 1916. Serial No. 77,794.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. LA MAY, of Rochester. in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Liquid-Distributers, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to liquid distributers and more particularly to the type in which the container for a liquid such as a fire extinguishing compound is provided with means for compressing air within the same; and an object ofthe invention is to provide a construction in which a single valve serves both as a check valve for the compressed air and as a discharge valve for the liquid, so that the number of parts is reduced and fewer chances for leakage are provided.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain parts and combinations of ,parts all of which will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section of a fire extinguisher constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a detail view of the upper portion of the device; Fig. 3 is a section on the line a a,

Fig. 1; and Fig. 1 is a detail view of the spring device for holding the flexible piston against the cylinder walls.

According to this invention there is provided a receptacle or container 1 preferably formed from sheet material and having heads 2 and 3 seamed thereto. The head 3 may have a central opening provided with internal threads by which the pump or 'air compressor is secured to the receptacle. Preferably the pump depends within the receptacle and comprises a long narrow. cylinder 4 provided with a cap 5 at its upper end externally threaded to engage the internal threads of the head 3 and provided with wings or finger pieces 6 by which the pump is rotated to connect and disconnect it from the container, a packing 7 being introduced,

stance, a ball valve 10 held against a seat 11 by a spring 12 which seats against the perforated cap 13.

lVithin the cylinder operates a piston consisting, in this instance, of a leather or other flexible cup 14 carried by a pirton rod 15 which is guided through the cap 5 and has a hand piece 16 at its upper end, ports 17 being provided in the cap to admit air to or from the cylinder above the piston. In order to form a tight joint between the cylinder and the piston, spring means presses the flange of the piston outwardly against the cylinder. In this instance, this spring means embodies a washer secured to the piston and having lateral spring fingers 29 which engage the piston flange.

A feature of this invention is the dual function of the check valve, that is, the serving of such valve to check the back pressure of the air delivered into the container by the pump and to control the discharge of the contents of the container.

Preferably there is provided an operating means for the valve comprising in this instance a plunger 18' mounted to move longitudinally within the piston rod 15 which for this purpose is made hollow, an extension 23 on the lower end of the plunger being'provided to engage the ball valve 10 when the piston is at the limit of its instroke. The

plunger is depressed or moved axially by pressing the thumb piece 24 on the upper end of the plunger, a coil spring 25 surrounding the plunger and serving to hold the latter raised in the piston rod.

The plunger 18 isspaced from the inner walls of the piston rod to provide a passageway for the liquid, said passageway communicating at its lower end at 19 with the pump cylinder below the piston and at its upper end. with a discharge passageway 20 in the hand piece 16. The lower end of the plunger 18 carries a valve 21 which seats at 22 against the lower end of the piston rod 15 to close the latter to the pump cylinder on the down or instroke of the piston, the spring 25 yielding on the up or outstroke of the piston to admit air to the cylinder.

In order to hold the pistonin its lowermost position so that the plunger 18 may lie in cooperative relationwith the ball valve, an interlocking connection is provided between the piston and the cylinder.

This connection, in this instance, consists of a pair of overhanging shoulders 26 arranged at diametrically opposite points about the piston rod and adapted toibe engaged on their under sides by shoulders 27 projecting from diametrically opposite sides of the piston rod, the projecting shoulders 27 being adapted to pass between the shoulders 26 and then beneath the latter when the piston rod is rotated.

In using this invention, the operator removes the air compressor or pump from the container and introduces in the latter the liquid fire extinguisher so as not to completely fill the container and provide an air space above the liquid. The pump is then screwed into the top of the receptacle so as to depend into the latter and by reciprocat ing the piston by means of the hand piece 16 air is forced by way of the hollow piston through the check valve into the container 1. After a sufiicient pressure has been secured in the container, the shoulders 26 and 27 are interlocked and the plunger 18 is depressed by pressure in the upper end thereof, thus opening the check valve to permit the discharge of the liquid through the piston rod and discharge passage 20.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a construction in which a single valve acts as a check valve and a discharge valve so that the parts of the device are reduced to a minimum while at the same time there are fewer parts to leak or get out of order. The assembling of the parts is simplified and the parts are so located that they will not be tampered with by persons maliciously inclined. As the discharge nozzle is carried by the handle of the pump and extends laterally from the axis of the pump piston rod, the rotation of the piston rod and handle will act to throw the stream in circle without turning the container.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a container, of

an air pump for. supplying air thereto having a hollow piston rod providing a discharge from the pump cylinder, valve interposed between the pump and the container, a spring-pressed valve controlling discharge through the piston rod and opening on the outstroke of the piston rod, and manually operable means for opening the spring-pressed valve and the check valve.

2. )The combination with a container, of an air pump for supplying air thereto having a hollow piston rod, a check valve interposed between the container and the pump, a spring-pressed plunger extending through the hollow piston rod and adapted to open the check valve, and a valve on the plunger.

ARTHUR C. LA MAY.

Witnesses:

ADA M. WHIT'MORE, HAROLD H. SIMMs.

a check 

